Their diet consists mainly of insects, small mammals, birds, crayfish, and earthworms. Their main hunting strategy is to survey prey from a perched position then swoop down to catch the prey. They also forage while walking along the ground.

They nest in natural tree cavities, old woodpecker holes, or man-made nest boxes. The female lays 3-7 eggs that are incubated for 26 days. Both parents feed their young. The owlets will leave the nest in about 25 -27 days but will be tended by the parents for another 5-6 weeks. Screech-owls can reproduce at 1 year of age.